คุณยายเคยกล่าวว่า สวดมนต์เป็นยาทา ภาวนาเป็นยากิน สวดมนต์ก่อนช่วยเคลียร์มลทินหยาบให้ใจสงบพอจะนั่งสมาธิได้ง่ายขึ้น แต่หากมีเวลาจำกัดจริง ๆ ให้ฝึกสติกับสิ่งที่ทำอยู่ตรงหน้าและหมั่นภาวนาสัมมาอะระหังตลอดวันKhun Yai once said: chanting is like an ointment, meditation is like medicine taken internally. Chanting first clears the coarser impurities and calms the mind enough to make sitting meditation easier. But if time is truly limited, train mindfulness within whatever you're doing, and keep reciting "Samma-araham" throughout the day.
Someone asked: what is the difference between chanting and sitting meditation, and if one is a working person with limited time each day, which should take priority — since sitting meditation is said to yield greater merit?
Khun Yai once said that chanting is like an ointment and meditation is like medicine taken internally — because the state of mind develops and rises in stages. Chanting keeps the mind focused word by word on the recitation, so it doesn't wander elsewhere; as that focus builds, the merit flowing in at each moment purifies the mind further. If one cannot yet settle into concentration because of hindrances, chanting first helps the mind focus on the words of the chant, gradually clearing away the coarser impurities first. Going straight into sitting meditation without chanting first is usually harder.
With Limited Time, Train Mindfulness Within Whatever You're Doing
If time is truly limited, then train during work itself — because whatever we fix our mind on, the mind settles into. Every day, our life is never free from the flow of the three natural forces: , , and the neutral, each taking turns as "master of the house" and drawing in its own energy to shape our future. The neutral force in particular occupies nearly 90% of our time each day, leaving life directionless and without clear progress.
Weave Recitation Into Every Activity to Draw In Merit Continuously
It becomes necessary to train during whatever activity we're doing — for instance, while walking, holding a base for the mind to draw in pure energy — or as teachers recommend, settling the mind still at at and reciting "Samma-araham" while picturing the Buddha image. When focused on the recitation and the mental image, the Triple Gem appears bright and clear, continuously drawing in the energy of merit. One should recite until it becomes second nature, practicing day and night, even upon waking — because recitation is calling upon the name of one who practices rightly and well. Even without seeing him, calling his name causes him to appear, bringing with him the task of refining our elements into . The stream of merit then pours continuously through the center of the body, purifying away the impurities that cause difficulty, dimension by dimension.
As the Proportion of the Wholesome Grows, Life Becomes Lighter and Easier
As pure energy is continuously drawn in to purify us, the proportion of wholesome force in our life increases, while the power of the unwholesome and the neutral diminishes. Life becomes easier, and heaviness of heart lightens, since the unwholesome's power is weakened and the difficulties it causes lessen accordingly. As the wholesome proportion grows, life gains more substance and meaning — body and mind grow lighter, and life becomes more vibrant.
Work Progresses Through the Inner Knower and the Empowered One
As for work, progress depends on the inner knower who guides us as if by our own thoughts, and the empowered one who clears away obstacles. The true root cause of progress is this inner knower and empowered one, together with the "emperor" figure at the center of the sphere of merit, drawing in good opportunities, good words, and good circumstances into our life. If our inner knower and empowered one are weak, they can help us only a little — even if we work hard all day, the results will still be small. Khun Yai once said: "much effort, little gain — investing heavily isn't worth what's lost." If we feel that our demanding work leaves no time for chanting and meditation, we should ask ourselves whether we want greater results than this. If so, we should build up the strength of our inner knower and empowered one by purifying ourselves toward liberation according to the right principles — drawing in merit to purify impurity. As we reach subtler dimensions, our stream of merit and fortune grows accordingly.